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J. M. ALLEN HOSIERY Feb. 10, 1931.

Original Filed July 2, 19.27

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Katmai-eh. 10, 1931 way a plurality of courses of the inward end of the tapering top segment of the toe are ,UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE JOHN M. ALLEN, OE TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, ASSIGNOB TO SCOTT 8o WILLIAMS,

INCORPORATED, OE NE'W YORK, N. Y.

HOSIERY Original application filed July 2, 1927, Serial No. 203,000. Renewed June 11, 1928. Original No. 1,754,185, dated April 8, 1930. Application for reissue filed December 27; 1930. Serial No. 505,155.

I The principal object of the invention is to provide a knitted stocking with a foot shaped ree from irregularities of contour so that it will fit the foot snugly without binding, will not have any loose portions to wrinkle or pucker, and still presenting a neat appearing and comfortable garment.

A further and important object is to knit the fabric with wales arranged to follow the curves of the foot so that the stockin will fit naturally and without strain, there y re knit in integral succession to the instep fabric and are formed of a yarn lighter in weight than the rest of the toe.

' In the drawings, Figure lis an elevational View showing my improved hose as fitted on the foot.

Figure 2 is a side View of the knitted foot shown flat.

Figure 3 is a detail side view of the toe portion illustrating the manner in which the fabric is knitted for completing the foot by looping. 1

In the knitting of the stocking, when made on a circular knitting machine, the heel A. is formed in the usual manner using one-half of the needles, reciprocating the machine and on each course picking up out of action one needle on eachside until approximately only onefifth of the total number of needles knitting the heel segment are knitting, then taking down intooperation 'one needle net ion each side on each course until half the needles are again in action, thus completing the heel pouch.

When the heel is finished asdescribed the the point of commencement of the toe.

plement of needles, to the point C whichlis T 1e opposite half of the full complement of needles to those used in making'the heel pouch are brou ht into operation to make the toe pouch. lhe knitting of the top half of the foot is continued from the point C with the instep yarn which is much finer than that used in the bottom'half and is knitted tighter and the needles are raised out of action one foot B is knitted, as usual, with the full comat a time on each side until about twelve on each side have been raised then the cotton yarn, which is usually used in the construction of the toe as a reinforcement, is intro- It will of course be understood that the 7 number of needles mentioned may be varied as desired according to the number otneedles in the c linder, the stocking herein illustrated being formed on a 240 needle machine. Immediately following the raising of the last of the above mentioned complement of about 48 needles a side, the needles that have been raised out of action in the knitting of the cotton yarn, numbering, approximately 36, are dropped into action all at once leaving'the 12 needles extending from C to I) out of action at each side. One course is then knitted around the end of the toe between the points marked D using all but the .12- needles left out of action on each side. Ap-

roximately seven more courses F are then itted, one or more needles on each side being raised out of action on each course, which forms a gusset E with tapered ends G the points of which extend to the points D on each side.

When the gusset courses mentioned have been completed the remainder of the 36 active needles on each, side, that is 29 needles, are raised out of action at once and the knitting then continued from the toe point k, dropping one or more needles into actlon on each side of the gore until all of the 36 needles are again put'back into action and also the twelve oneach side that were raised out of action between the points and D. 'This then brings back into action the full complement of needles of one-half of the machine.

away by the looping machine or ravelled a back, and the foot is complete. The looping line J is thus located on the bottom of the foot and is well backto the ball of the foot. It is located at the widest part of the foot and is therefore at the most desirable point as the loop stitches are loose and equal to severalordinary courses. This arrangement of the loop' stitching allows the greatest width of spread at the most desirable point and being beneath the foot it is invisible when worn.

The construction of the toe produced in the manner described is narrowerv than the ordinary construction by approximately 24 needles on each side and with the addition of the interposed courses on each'side the toe is 32 courses smaller or about one inch smaller in circumference atD than the toe produced in the ordinary manner. The longer, narrower, toe structure with the yarn change at D on the'top side forward of the widest part and the looping at C on the bottom side well back on the widest part, eliminates the bulging surplus or dog ears always found in the shorter broader structure of seamless toe which is a source of much discomfort to the wearer. The fabric of the stocking when completed lies perfectly flat along the sides.

The tapering of the ends of the insert courses F is very important in eliminating the bulging surplus fabric mentioned and it also shapes the wales so that they conform to the curvature of the foot.

It will be readily understood that the shape and dimensions of thetoe structure may be varied by lengthening the gore and altering the number of courses in the insert E, F.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A seamless foot hose having a tapering top toe segment, a plurality of insert courses knitted to the tapering sides'and around'the end of the top toe segment, each course having a number of stitches appreciably less'than the number of stitches on the edge of said toe vtop, the successive insert courses being of a progressively differing length, a diverging bottom toe segment knitted to the insert courses and to the courses of the tapering toe top beyond the ends of the insert courses to meet the lower half of the foot section at the points of commencement of the tapered top segment. v

2. A seamless stocking having a light weight instep yarn and a reinforced toe, the toe portion comprising tapering segments joined in gore lines arranged lengthwise of the foot, the instep yarn being continued into the top segment of the toe to a point intermediate of the length thereof and the remaining part of said segments being reinforced, and a gusset arranged between said toe segments'the courses of which extend around the toe end and the ends of which are spaced from the inner ends of said gores.

3. A seamless stocking having light weight yarn in the instep and a heavier yarn in the toe, said toe being formed of tapering segments, the light yarn being continued from the instep into the top segment of the toe, said top segment having a yarn changei ntermediate of its length and the remaining portion formed of a heavy yarn, a pluraihty of insert courses knitted to ,the tapering edges and the end of the top toe segment, said insert courses being of progessively differing lengths forming a gusset with tapered ends, and the bottom toe segment beingknitted to the insert courses .and having its end stitched to the foot of the stocln'ng.

4. Av seamless foot hose formed with a,

light yarn in the instep and a heavier yarn in .the toe and having the top half of the foot continued in a tapering toe top, said toe top having the yarn changed intermediate of its length from light to a heavier yarn, a plurality of insert courses knitted to the edge of the tapering toe and having a number of stitches in each course less than the number of stitches along the edge of the toe top, the successiveinsertcoursesbeingofprogressively differing lengths, a'bottom toe section having each successive course increased in length and knitted to the insert courses and to the light yarn courses of the tapering toe top beyond the ends of the insert coursesto meet the points of a lower half of the foot section at the commencement of the tapered top.

5. A seamless stocking having a light weight yarn in the instep and a heavier yarn in the toe in which the toe is formed of tapering segments the ore lines of which extend back to substantially the widest part of the footof the wearer, the inner end of the toe bottom beinglooped to the foot bottom at the inner ends of the gores and a plurality of courses of the inward end of the tapering top segment is formed of the instep yarn in tight stitches to effect the shortening of. the top of the foot relative to the bottom. I

6. A seamless stocking having a light weight yarn in the instep and a heavier yarn in the toe in which the toe is'form'ed of tapering segments the ore lines of which extend backto substantia y the-widest .partof the foot of the wearer, the inner end of the toe bottom being looped to the foot bottom at the inner ends of the gores and a plurality of courses of the inward end of the tapering top segment being knit in integral succession to the instep and formed of yarn lighter in weight than the rest of thetoe.

7 A seamless stocking having a light weight yarn in the instep and a heavier yarn in the toe in which the toe is formed of tapering segments, the inner end of the toe also being looped to the foot bottom at the inner ends of the gores and a plurality of courses of the inward end of the tapering top segment being knit in integral succession to the instep and formed of a yarn lighter in weight than v the rest of the toe.

8. A method of knitting hoisery, comprising knitting to a foot section a tapering toe top by progressively decrea'singthe number of needles in action until the top is reduced to a narrow end, then immediately returning a plurality of needles into action knitting a course in continuation of the toe and along the tapering sides, then knitting a plurality of courses around the toe end, then removing from action the needles returned to action, then knitting a diverging toe section to the courses knitted to the tapering edges of the toe top progressively increasing the number of needles in action, and finally joining the rfaompleted bottom section to the bottom of the oot. I

9. A method of knitting seamless hosiery, comprising knitting a seamless foot section, then removing a plurality of needles from action and continuing the knitting of the upper half of the fabric, progressively decreasing the number of needles in action to form a toe top tapered to a narrow end, then returning immediately into action a plurality of needles of a lesser number than those removed from action for forming the tapered .top and knitting a course of stitches alongthe tapered edges and around. the end of the toe for the major portion of the length of said tapered edges, then knitting to the aforesaid course a plurality of courses removing needles from action progressively to knit a gusset with tapered ends, then withdrawing from action the remainder of the returned needles, then progressively returning needles into action progressively knitting a divergin toe bottom to the inserted toe gusset and to t e edges of the tapered toe top extending beyond the ends of 1 the gusset, and finally looping the end of thetoe bottom to the foot bottom.

10. A method of knitting seamless hosiery, comprising knittingla foot section with a full complement of nee es to a point corresponding with the widest part of the foot of the wearer, then removing needles out of action and continuing with the instep yarn to knit a tapering toe top for about s xteen or more courses, then making a .yarn change using a reinforcing yarn and corfliinuing the tapered toe to a narrow end of about twenty-four stitches or less, then returning a suflicient number of needles into action to knit a row of,

stitches around the toe end and to the points of the yarn change, then knitting a plurality of courses around the toe end forminga tapered gusset extending back to the instep yarn, then knitting a toe bottom 'oim'ng the courses thereof to the gusset and to the ends of the courses of the instep yarn extending from the commencement of the tapered toe top, the whole of thetoe bottom being of reinforcing yarn.

11. A knitted stocking having a toe comprising narrowed and widenedsegrnents and segments throughout the major portion of its length, said narrowed and widened segments extending rearwardly of the points of the gusset an appreciable extent.

13. 'A knitted stocking having a toe comprising narrowed and widened segments and a gusset located between the segments on both sides of the toe and extending around the end,

every course of said gusset having an appreciably lesser number of stitches than the number of stitches around the edge of each segment, the bottom toe segment being looped to the bottom'of the foot of the stocking.

JOHN M. ALLEN. 

